Almond Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars, completely plant-based & gluten-free
Half way through this recipe I thought I really messed these bars up. They started to smell in the oven like I was burning them and they were over cooked. But because I am so stubborn, I clearly kept going to see how they would turn out anyways and I seriously happy I did.
It turns out overcooked dates, oats and almond butter crust tastes amazing. Seems like there is nothing this combo can’t do.
I wanted to make a clean and flipping delicious way to nosh on almond butter & jelly first thing in the morning. A grab & go type of deal that we can eat on our way to work, the gym, anywhere.
These bars by far exceeded any expectation I had. They are made with a crispy oatmeal crust and with very few ingredients like oats and dates. They’re topped off with a homemade blueberry chia jam (see this recipe for how to make jam) and dreamy creamy almond butter. The almond butter in the oatmeal crust gives it that extra flavor and a healthy boost of fats and protein for us.
For the almond butter, I used Barney Butter in this recipe. It is 100% peanut free and is hands down the creamiest almond butter on the block. I always recommend it as the “starter jar” to your almond butter addiction. Even my friends and family who hate almond butter love Barney Butter. I used Barney Butter Bare Smooth because it doesn’t have any added sugars or salts, so it is perfect for baking and cooking.
You definitely recognize Barney Butter from a handful of my previous recipes on the blog. Needless to say, it is a staple in our kitchen. I may or may not spoon it from time to time as my bedtime snack and smear it on my favorite cracker or two.
These Almond Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars can be enjoyed as a breakfast bar or a sweet snack and dessert. You can keep them in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for longer. The crust is amazing cold and crunchy so definitely freeze at least one for later. Finally, you definitely need a food processor or blender of sorts for this to make the crust. The oats, dates, etc. need to broken down and combined into a dough of sorts.
PrintAlmond Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars
Yield: 9 bars 1x
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1 cup of old fashioned oatmeal
- 1 cup of pitted dates
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup Barney Butter Almond Butter Smooth
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons of raw honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Topping:
- 1 cup of Blueberry Chia Jam (see blog post for link to recipe)
- 6 teaspoons of Barney Butter Almond Butter Smooth
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease 8×8 baking dish
- Add crust ingredients to food processor and pulse until well combined in a dough
- Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes
- Spread blueberry chia jam evenly on top of the bars once baked
- Add 6 teaspoons of almond butter across the bars and use the end of your spoon to swirl it all together
- Bake in oven for additional 10-15 minutes
- Leave in fridge for up to 7 days or freezer for longer
- Category: gluten free friendly, vegan friendly, dairy free
- Cuisine: breakfast, dessert, snack
xx, Rach
Medha
These bars look awesome- I’m all about pb & j in EVERYTHING 🙂
Alexa [fooduzzi.com]
These sound oh-so delicious, Rachel! Almond butter and jelly sounds like my new favorite food combo 🙂
Rachel
YAY! Thank you so much, Alexa! This combo is my favorite right now! xx
Meah Konstanzer
Oh my my, that swirl looks so dreamy! Do you think crunchy Barney Butter would work well too? That’s my fave flavor. Either way, I’d gladly FLY out of bed in the morning for one of these bars!
Rachel
Absolutely!! Thank you so much, hope you love them! xx
Pía
Hi! How can I replace coconut oil?
Rachel
Hi Pia – I really only bake with coconut oil so I don’t have a substitute recommendation. I highly recommend buying a jar though, it’s so versatile and the health benefits are amazing! You can most likely use canola oil but I personally don’t keep that on hand for baking. Or try adding more maple syrup and/or honey. xx
Flourless Dark Chocolate Strawberry Fudge Brownies – rachLmansfield
[…] this jam. You may be familiar with my jam recipes from Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes and these Almond Butter & Jelly Breakfast Bars. I am obsessed with making jam. It is so easy and so underrated. But for this particular jam, I […]
Marisa
Another one of your recipes in the books! These bars are so, so, so good!!! I used Kirkland brand almond butter and it turned out great. I’ve never made my own jam before (genius!), and I will never buy store-bought again. So easy, so clean, and so yum. I’m trying your turmeric falafels this week for dinner! Thank you, Rachel!
Mariel
I just might make these this weekend..but I’m going to try making blackberry chia jam since I like them better than blueberries. do you think they’ll be an okay replacement?!
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[…] 9) Almond Butter Jelly Bars by Rachel Mansfield. These have been on repeat in my house for months (they are my husband’s favorite, and for good reason). I highly suggest you try these satiating clean treats. […]
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[…] for the oat crust for the fig newtons, I used this crust recipe. John and I love the almond butter and jelly bars also, but the crust is the best part and can be […]